Healthcare organizations should regularly reconcile physician charges with clinical notes to ensure they are achieving maximum reimbursement, said Amy Sullivan, vice president of revenue cycle at PatientKeeper, an EHR optimization software company.

She notes this process can be slow and labor-intensive when done manually, so she recommends automation.

"Particularly in the inpatient environment, where physicians are pulled in many directions — they see their own patients, they do consults, they cover for other physicians on their team — lost charges are common. That's why charge-note reconciliation should be institutionalized as part of the revenue cycle management workflow," said Ms. Sullivan.

If you would like to share your RCM best practices, please email Kelly Gooch at kgooch@beckershealthcare.com to be featured in the "RCM tip of the day" series.

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